Best Cookware for Renters -- advice sought

[Mark1]

I have a one bedroom one bath ski condo.  About every other guest actually cooks in it.  I need advice on cookware.

I have been buying cheap non-stick sets of pots and pans (2 small pots, spaghetti pot, 4 pans small to large).  They last about half a year.  Utensils scrape up the teflon coating, things get burned and they never look the same.  Then I buy a whole new set to keep the place nice and provide functional cookware.

I don't mind the expense, but I am wondering if there is a more expensive option I should pursue that would last longer, and be more pleasing to guests.  On the flip side, if a guest can destroy an expensive item it becomes a bit of a liability.  I have never charged against a security deposit.  Things that break and need replacing are cheap and I just count them as normal wear and tear.

I have seen hard anodized sets that are dishwasher and oven safe, but if you look carefully at reviews they do scratch, and it sounds like the dishwashing reduces the overall life span of them.

Has anyone figured this out?  Any thoughts?  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Mark1

good old enamel ?

[Deborah270]

I have stainess steel which I love & use all the time. I scour them on a regular basis, but it is a lot of "elbow grease".

After my last guests (stayed at my home almost 2 months) you bet the pots & pans ALL needed scouring. And you KNOW renters are

not going to scour a pan. So I decided to put my good cookware away---&  get some cheaper teflon/aluminum cookware,

3-4 pieces for around $25-$35, keep them for as long as possible & then throw out.  

I did not appreciate having to spend hours scouring my nice pots, & you just can't enforce this. 

[Steve2743]

I would suggest simply avoiding anything with Teflon. As you discovered, most people don't know how to care for Teflon, especially if it's not theirs. Besides, as someone who loves to cook, the only thing worse than cooking on well maintained Teflon, is trying to cook on poorly maintained Teflon. But that's just me. 

I'd go with a basic stainless steel set. Doesn't need to be fancy. I got the pots and pans for my suite from Ikea over a year ago, and they're still going strong. 

[Deborah270]

Stainess steel is great but my point was that they need to be scourd after a rental of a month or more.

This can take a couple of hours. 

[Willow3]

I personally use All-Clad stainless and LOVE them, but they are not a wise choice for a rental. If I were doing a whole house, I would pick up a set of Kirkland (Costco brand) stainless pots and keep a can of Barkeepers Friend under the sink. Bar keepers Friend is wonderful on stainless - fast easy work of any stains on the exterior. 

I use and love my cast iron, but seeing as my own family wi my supervision can't seem to care for them properly - no way would I put it in a rental. 

[Deborah270]

Bar Keeper's Friend cleaner is great, but my renters never use it. That job is left for me--cleaning lady doesn't routinely do this---, & after 30 days of cooking,  this is a 2 hour job I do not look forward to. 😉

[Marit-Anne0]

@Mark1

Stainless steel is the way to go, use can use baking soda, dishwasher detergent, they can go in the dishwasher, will do on any sort of range, they can take metal pan scrubs and wirewool. In other words, they would have to work hard to kill them !

I have had some Ikea stainless steel in my rentals for 10 years - not the cheapest ones, the upper range. The 365+ range I find is the best they have nowadays.  

For non-stick that lasts, you would have to move into the luxury segment, and even those do not last forever.  5-6 years at the most. As I rent my second homes when not in use, I have had and still have some of those - the Scanpan CTX brand.

[Ben205]

@Mark1

Interesting ideas coming out. You've already mentioned cost should something break or be stolen, and I'd say this is important. Here in the UK induction hobs are becoming common and not all metal pans will work on them.

Like many others I don't like non-stick, but guests do so having a Teflon frying pan is probably a good idea.

One solution may be, don't let your guests stay so long! Most of our visits are 3-4 days and they eat out the entire time. Crockery and pans are like new!

Cheers.

[Sherry76]

http://www.thejuzz.com/Nonstick-Cookware/ here are some ideas for nonstick cookware sets.

[Sabrina280]

I prefer stainless steel cookware. Very easy to clean, I normally use bark keepers friend. Sometimes I use dishwasher. I got more idea from http://www.cookwarelab.net/

[George437]

Now, we just can’t say that one particular model is the “best” for everybody… unlike what some other websites attempt to do. That would be like saying, “These are the Best Frying Pan for everybody. ” Well, if I’m going to a dinner party, I dang sure do not want to be within a pair of mountaineering clothes with my official use.

Are you looking for a best frying pan? Take few second and find out here best skillet from our best non stick pan review guideline. Check this link - https://buybestfryingpan.weebly.com/

[Sarah977]

I've been using cast iron pans for 50 years and I've never understood the big fuss about "caring for them properly". I have always washed them just like I wash any pots, pans or dishes. I don't just wipe them out or oil them. That seems disgusting to me. Yes, they can get rusty- but there is nothing unhealthy about rust- it's just iron oxide, and a quick wash gets rid of the rust.

As for having to spend time scrubbing out stainless steel- if stuff is really cooked on, put a little water in the bottom of the pot, shake in some Bar Keeper's Friend, let it sit for awhile, and it usually comes off easily. If it's really bad, Easy-off oven cleaner left to sit for awhile will dissolve anything cooked on.

[Patty174]

Hi @Mark1 are you still happy with the ikea Polerad SS set? Any complaints about the lids and handles being too hot?  How long before you needed to replace and did you replace with same set?

Thanks!

[Jay181]

The stainless pots don't seem to get that dirty.

But the fry pans, even with lots of scrubbing with barkeepers friend and SOS pads are hard to clean.

Will try the baking soda/soap solution.

We tried a granite fry pan, only granite on the inside (No Teflon?)

The inside cleans up nice, but for some reason the outside got dirty & very hard to clean.

Inside of Granite Pan, 1 year old, cleaned good.Backside of pan hard to clean.

Will try one that is granite on both sides & see how it works, something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Wonderchef-Granite-20Cm-Frying-Pan/dp/B01IVK7DDC

Will update if we try a different one.

[Deborah270]

My plan is to get a set of well priced cheaper cookware for guests, keep them as clean as possible, get rid of in 6 months. I treasure my nice, personal cookware and really don't want it to be abused by guests.